The Roots to Happiness

How often do you wake up worrying about money? How often do your loved ones worry about money? How often have you heard, “if only I had the money?” How often do you feel that more money would solve all your problems and would make you happy? What if I told you that you were right, to an extent. Author’s across the discussion of happiness have tried to answer the simply stated, yet complicatedly answered question, “Can Money Buy Happiness?” Authors Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diner attempt to answer the question in their piece of the same name, by explaining that “Yes, money buys happiness…but it must be considered in the bigger picture of what makes people genuinely rich” (Biswas-Diener 160-161). This idea that fiscal wealth is a path to happiness

Money and Happiness Why most of rich people are not happy with what they have? Happiness is the feeling which people feel it when they are satisfied with what they have even though these people are poor or rich. Money is the way that people use it to bring things which they can buy it by money. Sharon Begley in her article “Why Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness” states that sometimes there are relationship between money and happiness because people always try to spend less money when they want to buy somethings.

Just like Aristotle once said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” This being stated, only those who deeply think, reflect and focus on their values, strengths and means to happiness, will be able to reach that achievement and be able to truly experience genuine joy. The main common issue in today’s society is that there is a misunderstanding between the mind and the meaning of happiness. It is first by deep reflection and accepting yourself that you will then be able to observe yourself, define yourself and finally persevere to develop your full potential. This will allow an individual to reach contentment that will further be able to blossom. Happiness is therefore an tool or an accessory that an owner carries around. Just like any object, is it easy to lose sight of it and it is essential to maintain proper care of it to ensure its renewal and

The texts, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness” and “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”, completes the idea that monetary value does not bring true joy. In the passage, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness”, the author states that bringing in an over excessive amount of money will not make one happy. The author said that an overall income of around $75,000 will complete one’s emotional well being, while anything over that will complete a life evaluation. Life evaluation is the idea that if one was to look at themselves while they’re in their deathbed, how would they rate their lifestyle. This is also supported through different statements within the passage, “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”. Within this study, it was proven that people enjoyed money, but often spent it on materialistic items which leaves them with a temporary feeling of satisfaction, while when they are given a fully paid trip to the Bahamas, the feeling of peace and joy lasts far longer than when they were to purchase an item of materialistic value. This

He said people are happier if they live in wealthy than poor nations. However, when people have enough money to pay for their basic need of food, shelter, etc., money does relatively little to improve happiness. He said people today are twice as rich as people in the late 1960s, but they were less happy than people in the 1960s. In the article “Spending Become You” the author Juliet Schor argues that Americans are looking for happiness, so that lead them to continuously buy so much and overspend without even realizing that they are spending more than they make. David G Myers, in the article “ The Funds, and Faith of Happy people” he argues that it is impossible what these people are doing, because money can’t buy happiness. This shows that, the American habit of overspending is unnecessary. Myers’ article enables us to understand why Schor said, all that Americans do is spend, spend and spend as if they can’t have fun without spending

Don Peck and Ross Douthat convey through their editorial, “Does Money Buy Happiness?,” that one’s level of content to a degree is contingent upon their ability to act as a consumer in society. Peck and Douthat base their assumption on research which shows, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (332, par.4) Based on this statistic, it is being assumed that one’s ability to support their lifestyle and perhaps better it creates a sense of security that leads to happiness.

Studies have shown, only 1-in-3 Americans are very happy with their life. The two-thirds that are not happy tend to believe one of two things: that they are not happy because they do not own or have as many things compared to another person, and because they fill their inner void of happiness with money. The truth is money can buy many, many things, except happiness.

If you were to ask the average person if they believed whether or not money can buy one’s happiness, many would likely say no; but if you were to take a closer look at how they choose to spend their money, their purchases would say otherwise. Their purchases would likely say that money can instead buy you many things that make you happy, or at least temporarily. Our society condones the American dream to follow one’s desires because anyone who obtains any level of power, pleasure, and wealth is likely to also achieve a satisfying and successful life. “In a capitalist economy and a culture of consumerism and materialism, are we not bombarded with messages promising happiness through wealth and possessions? Aren’t we every day indoctrinated by advertisements promising bliss through the clothes we wear, the cell phones we buy, and even the beer we drink?”

Happiness doesn’t just happen – it has to be made, it has to be produced, created, discovered, built from the ground up. And it has to be a decision in one’s mind: the decision to be happy. It is really simple, believe it or not. One must have a conviction to be happy no matter what trouble life throws at them; because life can certainly disrupt a person’s happiness, getting in the way of them enjoying their own life, with all the countless and never-ending mishaps and suffering. Happiness is something that comes to those who expect it and therefore deserve it.

Although Americans do look better and feel better with the extravagant items they purchase, money doesn’t buy happiness for long term goals. Like many will argue, like Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson did in his 2013 article, “Yes, Money Does Buy Happiness: 6 Lessons on the Newest Research on Income and Well-Being,” money can only buy happiness for short term goals; it won’t last very long for everyone and it could lead to worse scenarios when the money is gone. Thompson (2013) included statistics on richer countries that are proven to be happier, explaining, “First, the lines go up. More money, more happiness. Second, the lines go up in parallel, more or less. Across language, culture, religion, ethnic background, the same amount of extra money seems to buy the similar amount of extra happiness.” Thompson (2013) found the same similar pattern in many other countries and concluded that they are more happy than poorer countries. Although poorer countries don’t have as many resources or many things like richer countries do, Seth Borenstein, in his 2017 article for The Independent, “Norway Beats Denmark to be Named the Happiest Country in the World by the UN,” can beg to differ. Borenstein (2017) says, “While most countries were either getting happier or at least treading water, America's happiness score dropped 5 per cent over the past decade” (Borenstein, 2017). That shows that America, one of the richest

Many believe money to be the root of happiness, however studies show a somewhat different conclusion. Those with money are happier than those in poverty (but only because of the assured security of their health and well- being), but once people begin making up to a certain amount of money, more does not equal increased happiness and decreased negative emotion. “The difference the marginal dollar makes in reducing negative emotions starts to fall off around $70,000, is very low by $160,000 and hits zero around $200,000.”(CNBC). This shows just how little money actually equates to increased elation in the grand scheme of life. In fact, those who think money is the root of happiness are often more unhappy because they will always be disappointed when their happiness levels do not rise with their financial levels. Those with less money, however (not in poverty) learn to appreciate life for what they have, they become more grateful and have less desires that will lead them into that common cycle of dissatisfaction that their richer counterparts may

Money and happiness are linked positivity in the psychology of many cultures and in the economy as well, yet money can be observed playing a sociological role in the ebb and flow of happiness in society. When contrasting the benefits of a dream career against a path to a more attainable means to financial safety, often individuals cognitively associate happiness with money. Does money create happiness or does it at least create a path to happiness? In the book, “Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires,” Carol Graham confronts this issue. She admits:

Wealth has always been seen as one of the primary ways to attain satisfaction and contentment with life, but never as much as in modern times. Much of the way today’s society is structured from the economy to higher education has become incredibly competitive. This competitive nature has grown as human’s desire the attainment of affluence in the hopes it somehow makes a person happier. This constant drive for more is called the hedonic treadmill. People consistently work the hardest they can in order to have the latest and greatest thing. This newly obtained item may result in a quick and temporary high, but soon individuals will return to their original level of satisfaction. This leads to a constant and endless wheel of consumption, all to experience the temporary euphoria that results from greater wealth. However, much wealth is hoarded and consumed as studies have shown “that people are destined to hedonic neutrality in the long run” (Diener 36). Once a human’s basic needs are consistently fulfilled, the amount of wealth a person has does not seem to have a massive impact on how they measure their own happiness. Over time this competition of consumption between humanity has been successful, and has resulted in incredible and unprecedented economic growth over the past one hundred and fifty years, yet “...all the evidence shows that on average people are no happier today

Happiness is an emotion that can be practiced by anyone, just like all other emotions we have. There is a kind of expectation that comes attached with the term happiness, that people get intrigued, when asked the question, “are you happy?” .Happiness cannot be achieved when we want it but it can be found in unexpected moments or situations. This happens entirely when the choice is made by a person to be happy or not in that particular moment .Happiness cannot be measured in terms of success or money. It is something that is cherished in everyone’s mind as a result of constant choices made to think positively, even when we are surrounded by negativity.

When you hear the word happiness, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Do you think of material possessions like designer clothes and accessories, the newest iPhone with the highest possible storage capacity, or a shiny red supercar? Do you think the amount of money you have or your current financial status has an effect on how happy you are? Plenty of college students, myself included, would associate happiness with possessing items like these or just having a lot of money in general. In today’s society, one common belief about social class is that the richer and more money or things that one has, the happier this will make them. This belief is reinforced by countless advertisements we see and hear everywhere, whether that be on